


Saving's What I Need

by jaerie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Broken Bones, Car Accidents, Full Shift Werewolves, Human Louis, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Medical Inaccuracies, Medical Procedures, Shifter Harry, Stitches, Surgery, Veterinary Medicine, Writer Louis, i dont know whats going on anymore, its 3am
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 22:19:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13467747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaerie/pseuds/jaerie
Summary: We've all had those moments.  A flash of something on the side of the road, a swerve, an instinctual slam on the break pedal.  This is the story of the one time Louis' reflexes were just not quite quick enough and the beautiful white dog that was on the other side of the impact.  He just doesn't know that beautiful dog is Harry.





	Saving's What I Need

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written as part of an ongoing challenge. We each select random numbers and are given a specific emotion from the book 1000 Feelings For Which There Are No Names. To read the other fics written in this challenge, [click here](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/ShortFic_Challenge_For_Which_There_Is_No_Name/works), or you can find the masterpost on tumblr [here](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/159679804243/1000-feelings-for-which-there-are-no-names-prompt).
> 
> Prompt #792: The contempt of physical weakness
> 
>  
> 
> [I FORGOT TO ADD THIS. but this video (and other husky after surgery videos) makes the description of his sounds so much better!!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyFMiDmwWK8)

* * *

 

It was always such a relief after a long stressful day to finally get out of the house and stretch his legs.  Harry walked through his front door, hung his light jacket on the coat tree and then walked through is house towards his back door.  He shed his clothes along the way, draping them on one of his kitchen chairs instead of leaving them in a trail on the floor like he wanted to, but he didn’t live like an animal.  In that sense, anyway.  

It was already dark after a long day at work and he really should just make himself some supper and crawl into bed but he just needed to let loose.  He needed to be free, even if it was just for an hour or so.  Fully naked, he stepped out his back door onto his patio, stretching and trying to ignore the light chill against his bare skin.  It was a temporary discomfort.  He stretched his arms high above his head, cracked his neck and then took off at a run towards the woods starting just behind his backyard.  

This was his favourite way to shift.  At a full run he lept into the air, feeling the trickle of magic shimmer through him and over his skin.  He always imagined it like a sparkly aura they visualized magic as on tv.  He knew there was nothing actually visible about the force that caused his shift but he still liked to think about it.  That was how it felt, a little tingly and shimmery through his nerves.  

He landed on the ground one paw at a time, not even breaking his stride as he propelled forward, his new form giving way to more speed than his human legs could ever give him.  Yes, that was what he lived for, that was what he needed.  He raced through the familiar woods in a path he frequently took, one that rarely took him past any other humans.  On this night, though, he caught the scent of something strange.

Harry trotted to a stop, nose lifted as he sniffed the air and then aimed his nose towards the ground.  Someone had recently been through the area and the scent had him immediately apprehensive.  He couldn’t pinpoint it right away but he knew it wasn’t friendly.  Only allowing himself to sniff around for another minute, he opted to turn back towards home, unwilling to get himself into trouble when he was just out for a run.   

He heard it before he saw it, the snap of twigs and the deep menacing growl.  Frozen in his spot, it suddenly became clear.  He had stumbled upon a pair of bear cubs and their mother was now in defense mode, ready to attack.  He was a white streak of fur as he took off in no particular direction, heart pounding and hair standing on end as he pushed himself to his limit to get away.  The bear gave chase behind him, the path of the large animal not quiet as it closed in.  

He ran and ran until he wasn’t even sure if he was still being followed, trying to put as much distance between himself and the threat as he could.  In his panic, his awareness of his surroundings had dulled, failing to see where he was even going.  His paws took him across a small clearing and then suddenly a bright light was blinding him while his nails scrambled for purchase on the different texture he had stumbled across.  A great force slammed against his body and before he could even react, it was dark.  

 

\--

 

Louis cursed to himself and turned his brights on as he tried to navigate the winding country road that led up to his new house.  House was the word he would use to describe it but he supposed that’s what it was.  He had been in the market for somewhere private, quiet and secluded after the chaos of the last few years of his life.  

Since he was a bit older than his siblings, he had always made up stories for his sisters when they were growing up.  His mom had had her hands full with so many young children and it became his job to put them to bed more often than not when he was home.  With some urging, he had started writing down his ideas for his fantasy worlds with werewolves and kingdoms and worlds he had always thought to be silly.  The editors that his oldest sister had sent them off to hadn’t had the same thoughts and before he knew it, he was the author of the latest best selling young adult novel series.  Promo tours, book signings, readings and eventually movie deals to bank on the latest fad.  He’d barely been home to see the family the stories had been created for in the first place.  

Now he had the pressure of continuing the saga and it was becoming more stressful than he had anticipated.  He had taken a chunk of his cash and invested in a property built on a hill in the middle of nowhere.  A two lane highway passed not too far so he wasn’t completely removed from society but with it set back far enough from the main road that it was completely hidden by trees, it had been a happy medium between both worlds.   

He’d barely moved in a couple weeks ago, moving trucks and designers coming and going while they set everything up for him.  It was amazing what could be accomplished with money without having to lift a finger of your own. 

It was dark and he still had to use his GPS navigation to find his driveway and still squint at the treeline to find the small break where he’d turn.  He was doing just that when a streak of white reflecting his headlights came out of nowhere and even with the slam of his breaks that had every part of his body aching, he still felt the thud of a collision.

With adrenaline pumping in panic mode, he jumped out of the car and ran around to the front to see what he had hit.  To his horror a large dog was sprawled across the concrete, still with red slowly soaking through the white and grey fur.  

“Oh fuck!! FUCK!!” he yelled, pulling at his hair while he stared at the scene in shock.  He looked around frantically but of course there was no one around to help him or offer him any advice.  The animal didn’t look mangey or unkempt so he knew it had to be someone’s pet and not some kind of white wild wolf.  Which made it worse, really.  He scrambled to the dog’s side and was relieved that it was still breathing though it was quick and shallow.  It’s leg was bent at an odd angle and the way it had fallen seemed unnatural.  It definitely needed medical attention and quick.  

He didn’t have time to call for help, he was at least twenty minutes from the nearest vet which would mean nearly an hour round trip if he had to wait for someone.  It might be dead by then.  

Not being the neatest person alive, he dug through his car until he found one one of his jackets and a hoodie that had been riding around with him.  He took them as a makeshift blanket, wrapping them around the dog as best as he could and tried to lift him into the backseat of his car.  The dog was huge now that he was trying to move it, surely standing taller than himself if it was up on its hind legs, and he was probably causing more harm than good with the way he had to drag onto the seat.  It was his only option, though, and did his best before jumping back behind the wheel.  

He called 4-1-1 for information on the nearest animal hospital and broke every speed limit and traffic rule in his rush to get there as quickly as possible.  Luckily there was a 24 hour clinic that wasn’t terribly far away and he made the drive in record time.  

Bursting into the clinic, he probably seemed panicked beyond what the situation called for but he had never hurt an animal in his life.  He had glanced back to check on it several times and the red stain on its fur seemed to be growing larger each time he checked.  There was no way he could live with himself if he had killed someone’s dog, accident or not.  

He hovered while a few of the staff carefully lifted the animal out of his car and took it back into the exam room.  Louis paced until the veterinarian came out to speak with him and, even then, he couldn’t stand still.  

Fractured leg, internal bleeding, flesh wounds.  They all sounded terrible and he felt himself grow more pale with each diagnosis.  He still nodded along and agreed with any of the surgical options the vet presented him with.  Anything that would save the dog’s life.  He’d even give them a down payment.  

It was the longest wait of his life but when the vet finally came back with the news that he, the dog was male he’d been told, was out of surgery and so far doing well, it was such a relief.  The dog needed to stay for observation overnight so he was sent home and told he could come back in the morning to see if he was well enough to go home.  The relief was short lived, however, when the blood on the pavement was still visible right before his turn into his driveway.  There was no rest when he was still so worked up.  He spent the night watching netflix and watching the clock until it was time to head back into the clinic.  

Louis was a ball of nerves as he drove back to the clinic, wringing his hands as he waited for the vet to come out to talk to him.  

“It was a little touch and go with the blood loss but he seems to be stable and doing well now,” the vet started and Louis breathed a huge sigh of relief.  

“He isn’t micro chipped but considering his health and appearance, he looks like a well taken care of house pet.  He’s also been pretty docile the few times he’s been awake but we’ve kept the muzzle on him just to be sure.  He hasn’t made any attempts to snap or growl at anyone yet,” Louis nodded, chewing on his lip.  “If you are comfortable with taking him home to start his recovery, I can keep my ears open for any reports of lost dogs in the area.” 

“Yea, I mean I can try my best to take care of him until I find his owner,” Louis agreed.  It was the least he could do after hitting the animal with his car after all.  “What kind of dog is he?”  

“Based on his looks and characteristics I’d say he is some kind of Husky or Alaskan Malamute mix.  He’s a little bigger than a Husky and his eyes aren’t the colour blue we usually see.  It’s hard to be sure.”  

Louis nodded along, anxiously shifting his weight and worrying his lip.  At least it sounded like he was going to be okay.  

“I’ll have to run to the store to grab a few supplies first but if you think he’ll be okay to leave…” 

The vet agreed and sent Louis on his way while he gathered together some aftercare and general information for him to take home.  When Louis walked out of the pet store $500 later and began loading everything into his trunk, he realized he may have gone just a bit overboard.  For all he knew he wouldn’t even have the dog for 24 hours but he wanted to make sure he was as comfortable and well taken care of as possible.  He bought a large fluffy dog bed, dog food, some dishes, a collar, leash and even a few toys.  Maybe he’d buy a dog for himself after he found the actual owners.  With a property like his, he definitely had the space for it now.  

When he arrived back at the clinic, the vet’s assistant took him back to one of the rooms where they had moved the big dog.  He really needed to think of something to call him while he was taking care of him.  He couldn’t just call him dog or buddy the whole time.  

It was a little upsetting to see the damage that he had caused there in front of him.  The dog was laid out on his side, a thick cast covering one of his hind legs nearly up to his hip.  Part of his belly was shaved with an incision that was stitched up and an IV trailing out of one of his front paws.  The assistant was removing that as he looked and he realized she had been talking.  

“I’m sorry, what?” he snapped out of his shock, looking over to the nice looking woman.  

“I was just saying that we’ve had him under some heavy pain medication since he came out of anesthesia so he will probably be a little groggy for at least the rest of the day.  You’ll want to make sure to keep him separated from any other animals in the house for at least 10 days and keep this cone on so he doesn’t bite at his stitches.  We’ve kept the muzzle on but you’ll have to feel him out.  He doesn’t seem aggressive so I think you’ll be fine to remove it once you get home.  He probably won’t be up to eating but you should try to encourage him to eat at least a little and call us if he hasn’t eaten in 48 hours.  Try to keep him calm and away from anything he can jump off or stairs.  You can let him out for the bathroom but for at least the first few days, keep his activity to a minimum.  He’ll probably have a lot of pain so we’ll send some medication with you.  Let us know if you notice it making him sick.  He had a minor rupture to his intestine which caused some bleeding but there haven’t been any other complications.  We also had to place several pins in his leg to stabilize the fracture so we’ll schedule a follow up appointment on your way out.”  

It was so much information that Louis didn’t think he caught much of it at all and hoped the information the vet had promised will refresh his memory once he was home.  He still nodded along and, once the IV was removed and the spot above his foot bandaged, he moved forward to gently touch the white fur on the top of his head.  It was surprisingly soft, something he hadn’t even registered in his panic the night before, and he stroked it gently and watched as his eyes barely cracked open.  The white muzzle looked uncomfortable and he knew he would be taking it off as soon as they were home.  It felt cruel to leave it on for so long.  

“I’m really sorry, boy.  I didn’t mean to hurt you.  I’ll try to get you fixed up and healed and take really good care of you.”  It seemed like the dog was staring right through him and it made him a little nervous when he had to back away for the assistant to secure the cone around his neck.  

“I’ll bring him out in a minute if you want to go check out with the desk,” she smiled brightly and he nodded as he swallowed hard and went back out to reception.  He paid the bill, way too much money if you asked him, and collected the information he would need.  By that time the assistant was leading the very drunk looking dog out by the collar and leash that Louis had just purchased.  

“You’ll have to be careful with him for a while but he’ll perk up soon,” the assistant assured him as she passed over the leash.  He nodded and, with his nerves building up, began to lead the big dog out towards his car.  Standing up, he nearly reached Louis’ hip which was good when the dog stumbled on his three good legs but also made him rethink his idea of removing the muzzle.  If he was upset, it probably wouldn’t take much for him to take Louis out.  

It took more than a little coaxing but he finally was able to direct the dog into the backseat and went around to get behind the wheel.  They were barely out of the parking lot when he heard whining and then a long and mournful howl.  It wasn’t very loud and almost musical in tone but so melancholy that it made guilt swirl up to clench his heart.  

“I’m sorry, buddy.  I know it hurts. We’ll have you home soon.”  It wasn’t much for comfort but it was all that he could offer at the moment.  “I wonder what your name is.  I can’t just call you buddy the whole time.  You kind of look like a sled dog… would you like the name Snowy?”  Louis laughed when he swore he could hear the dog huff in annoyance at the suggestion, shaking his head fondly.  “Okay, not Snowy.  What about… Balto?  He was a sled dog.”  The dog let out another huff and Louis couldn’t help but smirk.  

“Okay, okay.  I’ll think of something better then.”  Louis was glad that the little exchange seemed to ease some of the tension that had been between them, even if it was just in his head.  He drove the rest of the way home with the soundtrack of soft whining howls filling the car.  

“Here we are!” he announced as he pulled up in front of his new house.  He parked his car right in front of the door so the dog wouldn’t have to hobble further than he had to.  “You just wait here while I get your bed all made up, okay?”  

He checked as he walked past the window to see that the dog looked nearly asleep taking up nearly the whole backseat.  It was an endearing sight, he had to admit, and knew he would at least think of getting a pet of his own once this ordeal was over.  It would be nice to share such a big lonely house with an animal to keep him company.  It would be a welcome distraction.  

The living room in front of the fireplace seemed to be the best place to set up a little recovery station since he spent most of his time on the couch there anyway.  He tore the tags off the big round bed and flipped on the gas fireplace for extra warmth.  That was the easy part.  Getting the animal out of the car was another story.  

“Come on, I have a nice warm bed set up for you inside!” Louis tried to coax, pulling on the collar just enough to encourage the dog to get up.  He just looked up lethargically with a groan, closing his eyes once again.  

“I promise you can sleep as soon as you get inside!   It’s not even very far!”  

Eventually he had tugged the big animal far enough that his front half began to slide off the seat towards the ground and thankfully that perked him up enough to catch himself on his front paws.  It was a drunken stagger from there, bumping into Louis’ hip then nearly falling over the other way while Louis tried to keep him upright.  It almost felt like leading one of his friends home from the bars back when they were young and inexperienced drinkers.

It was a relief to finally make it into the living room, directing the dog’s body to collapse comfortably on the bed.  He seemed to fall asleep almost immediately so Louis went out to carry the rest of his loot in.  He washed the two dog bowls and filled one with water and the other with food, carefully carrying them to set down right next to the bed so they were easily accessible incase he got hungry or thirsty.  

After that was taken care of, he settled into the couch with the information from the vet and flipped on the tv in the background.  He had nearly made it through another episode of Tanked in the background when he heard a long whine come from the bed not far from his side.  He looked over to see the animal still stretched out on his side, his rib cage expanding with his breath between each long pitiful whine.  

“You’re okay buddy,” Louis cooed, getting up to kneel beside him, “I’m going to take this off now so please don’t bite me.”  

His fingers gently unhooked the buckle of the muzzle secured behind his head and pulled it off.  The dog stretched his jaw open wide but made no move to snap at him, continuing his long whines a moment later.  

“Let’s find you a name now, how about that?” Louis spoke to him, grabbing his laptop from the couch.  He sat cross legged on the edge of the dog bed while he pulled up a browser, typing in a search for dog names.  

“Would you like a sled dog name?  There are some interesting ones.  White Fang might be fitting,” he suggested and laughed when the dog seemed to disagree.  “Or maybe I could just call you Husky?  Hmmmm….” he looked along some of the lists, scanning his finger down each one but nothing stuck out to him.  

“Harley? What about Harley?”  He could have sworn the dog rolled his eyes at him but didn’t protest like he had to the others.  “I guess Harley it is then.  Until I find your owners, anyway.” 

He hears what sounds like a small sigh of resignation and then the sounds of soft snoring a moment later.  

“You must be exhausted,” Louis whispered gently, setting his laptop to the side and scooching forward to pet Harley’s soft fur.  “You really are a gorgeous animal, aren’t you?”

Really, the animal was a gorgeous beast.  His clean white fur only shifted to a light dusting of grey along his back and out to the tip of his tail almost like he had been frosted with it.  It was smooth and soft along his whole body, save the small section they had shaved for his surgery.  He was large but still elegant, long and strong instead of bulky, most of his mass made up by his thick coat.  It was easy to imagine this creature running gracefully across the frozen tundra in one of the National Geographic documentaries they always had to watch in school and he could imagine that Harley’s owners had spent a pretty penny for him.  

Which reminded him that he needed to post something about what had happen.  At the very least he had to post about Harley being found.  He pulled up Craigslist and figured it was at least one place to start and posted a small description and where it had happened.  There was also a Facebook group from the area that he posted in, not giving too much information so the owners would have to describe some specifics to prove Harley was really theirs.  Selfishly he wished no one would come forward.  Even in the short hour that Harley had been his, there was already an attachment growing that he already knew would make it hard to give him up.  

Most of the afternoon was spent much the same way.  He searched for lost dog postings while Harley snored nearby and it all felt so cozy.  It was easy to imagine his lazy days filled with writing, just the sense of another being close to him making the house seem more like a home.  

Harley began to whine around supper time, rubbing his head and the cone collar almost violently against the bed.  Louis watched the struggle for barely five minutes before heart hurt and he was rushing over to calm the animal.  

“Shhh, Harley it’s okay,” he took the dog’s face in his hands while he whined, looking up at him with sad eyes that seemed to portray far too many emotions for an animal.  “If I take this off, you have to promise not to lick or bite your stitches.  Do you promise?” 

Louis startled a bit and stared down at Harley when he actually nodded in response to his question.  He had to shake his head because surely it was just a coincidence.  He took it as an answer anyway and carefully went about removing the cone.  

“There you go,” he rubbed the ring of fur where the cone had sat and watched as Harley’s eyes drifted shut and seemed immediately more comfortable and relaxed.  “Now don’t get me in trouble with the vet for letting you out of the cone of shame early.  Be a good boy.”  

The leather collar he had picked up was still around Harley’s neck and he adjusted it to make sure it was on properly.

“Do you need to go outside?  You’ve been in here all day.  Do you have to go potty?”  Louis shifted to squat beside the large animal, attempting to gently help him up.  

A loud yelp made him stumble back and fall onto his bum, watching with wide eyes as the dog howled and then whimpered, no doubt in terrible pain.  He was just glad the reaction hadn’t been to nip at him for causing it.  That could have become ugly fast.  He nearly ran to the kitchen and his nervous hands fumbled with the medication they had sent home with him for the pain, the pills dumping onto the counter in his rush while Harley continued to howl in the next room.  

“I’m coming I’m coming!” he tried to reassure him, ripping open his fridge and scanning the scarce contents for something to hide the pill in.  He really needed to go shopping.  He settled his eyes on one of his pizza Lunchables and ripped open the plastic, pulling out several of the little pepperoni slices to wrap around the pill.  He ran back into the living room and knelt before the dog in obvious discomfort.  

There was a hesitancy as Harley sniffed at his hand, pulling away and eyeing it with suspicion.  

“It’s one of your pain pills.  They gave you the good stuff, I promise.  I know you can probably smell it but I swear I’m only trying to help.”  Harley seemed to consider what he said before snarfing down the little bundle whole, almost as if he understood exactly what he had said.  This dog seemed oddly intuitive and it was starting to freak him out a little.  He’d never seen an animal seem to understand every word but then maybe it was still just the adrenaline and his generally overactive emotions over the situation that were just playing tricks on him.  Maybe he just needed to get some sleep.  

He stroked Harley’s head through his soft whimpers, trying to soothe him until the pain medication started to kick in.  

“I’m so sorry.  I know it hurts.  We’ll try to go outside in a minute.  I don’t want you to pee your bed just because it hurts to get up and they said it was good for you to walk around a little.”  It seemed like there was a huff in response, the dogs eyes falling closed to Louis’ ministrations.  

“Okay buddy,” Louis tried to rouse Harley once it seemed the animal had calmed down in his pain, “It’s time to go outside.  I know you don’t want to but you have to.”  

It was hard to watch how painful and difficult it was for Harley to get to his feet and only could with Louis’ help.  The pain was all Louis’ fault and he felt his eyes watering with each whine of discomfort.  It was a long and slow journey to the glass doors leading out to his brick patio but they eventually made it.  The dog was hesitating, though, looking back at Louis and whining each time Louis tried to follow along to help him.  It almost felt like he was trying to get Louis to hang back so eventually he did.  In his condition, it wasn’t like he would be able to run away without Louis being able to catch up with him in a few strides so he finally stayed back while the dog slowly hobbled around to hide behind one of the bushes.  He smiled at the thought that maybe Harley had a little stage fright when it came to someone watching him go and that seemed to be the case when a few moments later he was slowly limping back towards Louis.  

“Good boy!  See, that wasn’t so bad.  Now let’s get you back inside.”  

They made the slow trip back to the bed and Harley flopped down in exhaustion, his breathing heavy a quick.  Louis did his best to soothe him, gently rubbing over his head and then playing with his velvety ears.  Soon Harvey’s breath finally calmed down and small snores started up as he fell asleep.  

“I’m so sorry, Harley.  We’ll get you healed up soon, I promise,” he murmured softly, eventually taking his laptop back to the couch to get started on some work.  

 

\--

 

Harry woke in a haze, slowly blinking to rid himself of the sleep induced dream-like state but he couldn’t get it to clear.  He lifted his head and realized he had somehow fallen asleep without shifting back.  It wasn’t the first time it had happened but he didn’t remember returning home or making the decision to just curl up as his dog.  He tried to sit up and was met with a painful ache throbbing through his entire body and pooling in his hind quarters.  

“What the fuck did I get up to last night?” he thought and tried to stretch out his cramping leg.  Something was restricting his movement, though, and he turned his head in the darkness to see what looked like a heavy cast weighing it down.  

He immediately started to panic and look around at the surroundings that he realized were unfamiliar.  The smells weren’t right either and his whole body was on alert.  He tried to get up again and groaned with the pain that made his body flop back onto the ground but then he realized it wasn’t the ground at all.  He was at least comfortable on what seemed to be a large pillow.  There was the scent of another human around him and he followed it until his eyes landed on the person who appeared to be asleep on the sofa not far away.  His night vision was sharp and after a moment he realized that the profile was vaguely familiar.  

Fragments of his memory started to surface, bits and pieces of the harsh smell of chemicals and bright lights, of pain and anxiety and eventually he had enough to figure out at least why he was there even if he didn’t know where that was.  The haze he was in had to be the drugs he thought he remembered being given which would also explain why his stomach was churning.  

The man was still asleep so now was his chance to shift and sneak away so he concentrated and tried to pull himself up onto two legs.  Even thinking about the change had him exhausted and he groaned at the weakness he felt overwhelming him.  He couldn’t even gather strength to attempt the shift and the realization made him begin to tremble with anxiety.  He’d never been in a condition where he wasn’t able to shift, not from animal to human anyway.  Anything could happen when he was this vulnerable, unable to defend himself in either form if this human had brought him here for sinister reasons.

He couldn’t help it when he started to cry, the only thing his overwhelmed state would let him do.  The pain was intense and uncomfortable and all he wanted was his own bed and someone to comfort him until he was able to be human again.  His sobs came out as long pitiful whines in this body but he did nothing to stop them, too distraught to even care what that human thought about it.  Part of him wanted him to wake up and be annoyed, wanted to dump some of his misery onto him keeping him a prisoner here.  

“You okay buddy?” Harry heard a voice asking him and he cried harder.  This person didn’t even know what he was.  Didn’t know  _ who  _ he was.  

“It’s okay Harley, I’ve got you,” the man was crawling over to him now and he was probably around Harry’s age, not the old sadist that Harry had imagined him as.  “Shhh, you’re okay,” the voice hummed gently and hands started to pet over his head and around his ears.  He wanted to hate it, to pull away from the touch, but instead leaned into the small amount of comfort it brought.  He just wanted someone to make it better.  

“Shhh Harley, I’ve got you,” the man cooed and Harry sobbed harder.  

“It’s Harry,” he wanted to scream but of course it only came out in a pitiful howl.  

“I’m sorry,” the voice sounded choked up and Harry thought maybe the man was crying too as he felt his warm body wrap around the curve of his spine, cradling him to his chest.  The man nuzzled his face into the fur just behind Harry’s head and the emotions surrounding them were anything but threatening.  It felt nice to just be held and his whines slowly tapered off as he concentrated on the hands delicately moving over his fur.  It had been so long since someone had pet him and he had forgotten how wonderful it actually felt.  If he were a cat, he’d probably start purring. 

“I’ll stay down here with you,” the person mumbled and Harry thanked him with a small lick to his hand.  

“Warming up to me a little?” the person asked softly, nuzzling his nose into the fur of his neck.  “I could get used to this, you know?  I already don’t want to give you up when we find your owners.”  

Maybe this person wasn’t holding him here against his will at all.  Maybe he honestly thought that he was just a lost dog.  Harry tried to be optimistic, relaxing the last of his muscles that had been tensed in fear.  He would just wait until he was strong enough to shift and then maybe leave this human a nice note about taking care of his lost dog.  He’d figure it out in the morning.  

 

\--

 

Hot.  Harry’s first thought as he started to wake was that everything was too hot.  His body, the bed, the sun shining directly on him, the furnace that seemed to be wrapped around him.  He whined and tried to get away from the heat, to throw his covers off, but his movements didn’t work the way he wanted them to.  He tried to thrash around onto his back but nothing seemed right and the covers came with him and… no, it was just his fur.  Why did he have fur? 

His eyes flew open in a panic, panting as he tried to survey his surroundings.  Everything came back in slow pieces again and he flopped his head back down with a groan.  He had hoped that it all had been a bad dream but the ache in his body was too real to ignore.  The body still curled around him from behind was too warm now that the morning sun was shining on them through the window and he whined as he tried to put some space between them.  

“You’re okay,” the voice behind him said, cracking with sleep, a hand following to pet slow calming lines over his shoulder.  “Do you need some more pain meds?  It’s been a long time since your last dose.”  

The mattress shifted beneath him as the man got up and headed out of the room and Harry took a moment to look around.  He was on a big dog bed, he now realized, and the room wasn’t as intimidating as it had seemed in the darkness.  It was actually very homey and normal, nothing like the psychopathic torture chamber environment he thought it might be.  It looked lived in though there appeared to be a few half unpacked or half packed boxes sitting next to the bookshelf and another stack off to the corner.  

He winced through the pain as he pushed himself to at least hold his head up, turning to take a closer look at the damage done to his body.  The cast on his leg looked heavy and thick, fully encasing the limb nearly all the way up to his hip.  He could see that his fur had been shaved around the top with another bare section low on the side of his stomach.  There was a long incision that was stitched closed and with its position, he made a quick check to assure that his dick was still attached and unharmed.  He breathed a sigh of relief to find that at least that was okay.  

“You seem more perky today! That’s a good sign!” the man returned, sitting down again near his head.  “Okay I put it in some more of those pepperoni things again so open up.” 

Harry looked down at the little rolled up bundle held out between his fingers and hesitantly sniffed.  The bitter scent of the medication was still detectable around the fatty meat but at least he had been told it was there.  The man seemed trustworthy enough and he prided himself on being a good judge of character.  With one more calculating glance at his face, he flicked his tongue out and swallowed the offered medication without chewing.  

“Good boy!” he ruffled the fur on Harry’s head and he pulled away with a small roll of his eyes.  He wasn’t a goddamn pet but he guessed this human had no way of knowing that.  A water bowl was pushed closer to him and he hadn’t even registered how dry his mouth felt until he saw the liquid sloshing in front of his face.  He dove in to lap some up, not even caring how desperate he probably looked.  

A food bowl was pushed forward next as he was licking the water clear of his mouth and wetting his nose and it immediately made his stomach churn.  He could play pet for a few things but there was absolutely no way he was going to eat dog food.  He could smell all the ground up and fatty miscellaneous animal parts and artificial dyes that were somehow meant to make it appealing to dogs.  There was no way he was eating that.  Absolutely not. 

His stomach was rumbling and cramping with hunger but what he really wanted was a big plate of eggs on toast with a side of bacon and maybe some orange juice.  He needed the type of meal that would soothe a hangover in his state.  

“Come on, the vet said I needed to make sure you started eating,” the man pushed the bowl closer to his face and he twisted his neck to get further away from the offending smells.  There were parts of Harry that did feel bad.  The man was obviously just trying to help, just trying to take care of him, but no.  He wasn’t going to eat the dog food just to make him happy.  

He was saved, at least for a minute, when the man’s phone rang.  

“This is Louis,” the man answered and, well, at least the man had a name.  Harry used the distraction when Louis turned to continue his conversation to push the dish away with his paws, stretching through the burn to make sure it slid completely off the dog bed.  Maybe he would be left alone long enough to shift and raid the kitchen before figuring out where he was and how to make it back home.  

“Yeah, I don’t know.  He just ran out in front of me and I’d hit him before I knew what was happening,” Harry perked up and actually started listening.  So that was what had happened.  “I freaked out and drove him to some emergency vet.  No, he didn’t have a collar or a microchip.  He doesn’t seem like a stray and he seems really well behaved.  It’s almost like he understands me.  It freaks me out a little with how intuitive he seems.”  Louis laughed out loudly, shaking his head as he turned to look down at Harry, sliding his hand over his fur.  

“No I’m not saying I picked up a werewolf from one of my books!  Fuck off!  I just got up here, I’ve barely even written anything yet!  Those kinds of isolation induced hallucinations won’t start kicking in for months.  But when I do start seeing werewolves in my backyard I’ll be sure to let you know.” 

Harry watched him laugh off the idea as absurd and he wondered if he should give Louis a little shock when he was ready to leave just to mess with his mind a little bit.  

“I posted a few things but I figured if I can’t find his owner that I’ll just keep him.  I’m already kinda getting used to having him around.  It has been kind of nice just to have someone else here in this big house.  I wouldn’t trust a shelter or something to take care of him and I already feel to guilty about hurting him that the least I can do is take care of him.”  

Harry sighed and rested his head down between his front paws.  He didn’t want to like this Louis guy but knew he would probably do the same if the situation were reversed and he couldn’t fault him for that.  At least the guy was trying and hadn’t just left him out on the side of the road.  

“Yeah yeah, I’ll talk to you later.  Bye.”  Louis ended his call and turned his full attention back to Harry.  

“Did you push this away?” Louis asked with a small laugh, picking up the bowl filled with dog food and placing it right in front of his nose again.  All Harry could do was pull his face away in disgust.  Louis scooped a few up into the palm of his hand and held it up to his nose like having a bigger whiff of them would make him want to chow down.  He whined and pulled away, trying to push himself up by his front legs to remove himself from the situation.  

“Okay, okay, but you’re going to have to eat at some point today or I’ll have to take you back to the vet for them to force feed you,” Louis set the bowl back down and ruffled the fur between his ears.  Harry wasn’t sure which option sounded worse but he was leaning towards the kibble ranking higher on that scale.   

“Do you need to go out?  You haven’t gone out since yesterday so you probably need to, don’t ya boy?”  Harry rolled his eyes at the nickname.  “Let’s go out and then I have to run into town to get some groceries.  Maybe I’ll pick up some treats for you if you’re good.”  

Harry huffed out a sigh and tried not to nip at Louis while he helped him to stand.  It was very uncomfortable and painful but knew it was good for patients to walk after surgery in human form so he probably needed to as well.  Especially since he wasn’t even sure what they’d done to him.  It was awkward to hobble with his entire back leg heavy and immobile but he reluctantly let Louis help him along until they were standing outside on his patio.  

“I’ll stay up here like before.  Go do your business,” Louis motioned out towards the lawn and if Harry were able to blush in this form, he would be.  He didn’t remember doing this before but the idea of being made to relieve himself outside was humiliating enough without Louis standing there to watch him do it.  It wasn’t like there was another option, though.  He wouldn’t be able to use a toilet like this anyway.  

He glanced back at Louis wearily before shaking his head and limping his way over to the bushes by the corner of the house.  Louis appeared to be giving him some illusion of privacy, thankfully, turned away while still keeping him in his peripheral vision, probably so he wouldn’t try to run away.  It took him a few tries to balance enough so he wouldn’t piss all over himself but got the job done and slowly returned to Louis’ side.  

“Do you think you’ll be alright if I run into town for an hour or so?” Louis asked him once he was settled back on the dog bed.  It was probably no more than 30 feet to the back door but he felt exhausted like he had climbed half a mountain.  He couldn’t even muster the strength to be excited that he was going to be left alone.  

Louis stroked his fur for a few minutes, probably to make sure he wasn’t going to pass out from how heavily he was breathing, before disappearing into another part of the house.  Harry waited until he heard the door and then the sound of the car starting up and pulling away to take any action.  If he wanted to be long gone by the time Louis came back, he’d have to get as much distance between himself and the house as he could.  

He stretched out and took slow, calming breaths to relax his body.  He closed his eyes and concentrated on the force within him that he used to shift.  It had seemed dull and weak, probably partially due to the effects of the medication, and he had to focus to summon it when it usually came so naturally.  It took a long time before it was humming close to the surface but when it felt ready, he pushed through it, ready to finally feel human again.  

He broke through the first layer and, where he usually slipped right through the rest of the transition, something was tugging him back.  He pushed harder, struggling to get through but got stuck like his hips were too wide to fit through a small window.  It was his leg, a wall of steel stopping him just at that point.  He could feel his other leg pulling through, the vibrations buzzing through him everywhere but below that one point just below his hip.  He thrashed and fought against it, straining until it seemed to implode, snapping back into him like a strong rubber band.  

He collapsed back onto the bed, panting heavily and feeling light headed and weak.  That had never happened to him before.  There had never been a force keeping him in one form or the other.  Every part of him felt drained, mind and body, and he couldn’t even keep his eyes open long enough to ponder what had happened.  There was no other choice but give in to sleep.  

 

Noises from another room slowly roused Harry from slumber, groggy as he looked around.  Louis was back and he was no closer to getting home than he had been before.  He was stuck and, while the anger surrounding that fact was festering within him, he didn’t have the energy to entertain it.  

Instead, it was irritation that was strong enough to surface.   Harry was tired, exhausted, starving, aching in pain and just wanted to be at home surrounded by familiar scents and the comforts he had taken for granted.  He wanted to make the new chicken lasagna recipe he’d been meaning to try, he wanted a nice big glass of red wine and some fake reality tv drama.

“Hey there Harley!  Did you get into much trouble while I was gone?”  That was also grinding on his nerves.  He’d scream his name in Louis’ face if he were able to.  He wasn’t a motorcycle.  

Louis sat down on the couch with his fast food bag full of bad choices and the whole room was filled with the glorious smells of burgers and fries.  It was absolutely torture to be taunted with the aroma of fried food while his stomach clenched and growled at him in anger.  He usually wasn’t a fan of fast food, he tried to eat as clean as possible, but would order everything off the menu right then if he could.

Louis flipped on the tv while he held a partially unwrapped burger, bacon and cheese oozing out from under the bun, and his mouth was watering so much he could feel himself drooling.  He whined out for it, trying to crawl closer.  He wasn’t above snatching it directly from his hand and running.  Well, maybe not running, but snarfing it down before it could be stolen away.  

He had pulled himself halfway off the dog bed by the time Louis noticed but Harry couldn’t even be bothered to care that Louis was onto him.  The burger was probably reflecting in his eyes, the sole focus of his entire mind.  He licked at his chops and could almost taste the greasy meat on his tongue.  

“This is probably bad for you but we won’t tell, will we?” 

He watched as Louis ripped the burger in half, tearing off a piece and holding it out in his hand right in front of his nose.  He didn’t even hesitate as he lunched forward, snarfing down the bite and then licking every remnant clean from Louis’ palm and fingers while Louis giggled.  He was beyond the point of feeling any shame about his actions.  Plus, in Louis’ eyes, he was a dog and he figured that was normal dog behaviour.  He whined until Louis was breaking off another piece, section by section disappearing into Harry’s stomach until he’d been allowed to eat the whole half.  It was just a cheap fast food burger but he was sure he had never eaten a better meal in his life.  

“That’s probably enough people food for right now.  I wouldn’t want you to get sick.”  Louis wiped the slobber from his hand with a napkin before taking his own bite of the other half.  Harry was still hungry but was satisfied enough to not tackle Louis down and shove his nose into the bag like some sort of wild animal.  Plus, he was sure it probably wouldn’t be pretty to overeat on whatever medication he’d been given.  He wasn’t even sure how animal medication would interact with his body but so far it seemed to be working just fine. 

He shifted himself back onto the bed, flopping down onto his side and relaxing now that his stomach was not longer screaming at him.  It was amazing how much just that had taken the edge off, able to think more rationally about his situation.  

Obviously the cast had something to with his inability to shift.  He’d never heard of something exterior not allowing a shift but then he supposed this was a bit of a unique situation.  He would just have to wait until the cast came off or figure out a way to get it off himself.  He’d deal with that later.  

 

\--

 

Louis had turned off the tv and tucked in to sleep on the couch when Harry heard it.  He was still wide awake and bored out of his mind but there wasn’t much he could do about it.  His ears perked and there was no mistaking the long drawn out howls though they were faint.  He whined at the soft chorus of calls barely penetrating the walls of the house.  They were looking for him.  HIs family was looking for him.   

He sat up and gave a long howl in response though it knew it was useless.  They were miles away.  They would never be able to hear him.  The calls were already moving further away.  He whimpered at the thought that they might never be able to find him.  He had heard rain spitting against the window earlier, no doubt washing away any scent he would have left behind and he was sure he was far from any path he usually traveled.  

“You’re kind of a night owl, aren’t you?” Louis croaked, peeking over the arm of the sofa to look at him while he rubbed at his eyes.  Harry ignored him and turned towards the window again, pointing his nose towards the sky while letting out another long pathetic howl.  He didn’t care that he was disrupting this man’s sleep that thought himself Harry’s new owner.  He wasn’t a creature that could be owned, he was a person being held captive no matter what Louis’ intentions were.  He felt he had a right to be at least a little obnoxious, especially when it might mean being found.  

“I’m sorry you’re sad,” Louis said gently and he sounded so genuine that Harry turned to meet his eyes.  For once it felt that Louis somehow understood his distress and the sorrow on this human’s face was comforting in a strange way.  

“You probably miss your home and your people but I don’t know how to find them.  I’m so sorry.”  

Louis climbed off the couch and came to lie beside him as he had the night before, stroking Harry’s fur until he finally laid back down himself.  

He would probably lose his job after missing so many days without a believable explanation.  It might be days or even weeks until he would be able to contact his family.  He’d never felt so helpless in his life but he still couldn’t stop the soft spot he had started to develop for Louis and thought maybe they could have been friends if they had met under different circumstances.  If this experience was something that was destined to happen to him, something fate would have thrown his way no matter what, he found that he was glad it had been Louis to find him.  

 

\--

 

It had been days and Louis still was no closer to finding Harley’s owner.  He’d spent hours searching Facebook posts, Craigslist, even the local newspapers.  As far as he could tell, no one had reported missing or lost dog and he couldn’t understand why.  Harley was a beautiful, well behaved animal, and he could think of no scenario that wouldn’t have his owners wanting him back.  

He stood at the stove with several chicken breasts sizzling in a pan, checking the Googled cooking instructions on his phone again to make sure he wasn’t overcooking them.  He didn’t trust himself to know when they were done.  It was probably horrible behaviour to encourage, but Harley had refused to touch the dog food in his bowl from day one.  It was never just disinterest but instead, outright refusal.  

Harley had been much more alert and interactive since the first day which made his behaviour over the food more than just a side effect of the anesthesia.  Harley also was quick to eat up any of Louis’ food he offered, even the apple slices he’d bought pre-cut in a bag.  It was extremely odd to him but he also didn’t want the animal to starve.  

So he had done some research on what dogs absolutely shouldn’t eat and also some homemade dog food recipes and had loaded up his fridge and freezer with things he could at least attempt to make for the both of them.  It definitely seemed to be the more expensive route but what was the point of having money if he wasn’t able to have a spoiled dog to benefit from it?  He was also probably doing his own body a favour as well instead of living off frozen pizzas and beer for the next handful of months.  

Tonight was chicken and brown rice and so far he had managed to not burn anything.  Yet.  

He poked his head into the living room to check on Harley to find him engrossed in whatever was playing on tv.  It was strange that Harley seemed to watch tv just like he would, almost as if he understood everything that was happening.  Just the night before he could have sworn Harley snorted out a type of dog laugh at the same punchline that had Louis laughing to tears.  He had joked about it but he honestly wondered if the isolation really was going to his head.  He couldn’t even call it isolation yet since he had been into town so many times so if that’s what was affecting him, it was definitely not a good sign.  

He ate his supper down on the floor with Harley, something oddly domestic about sharing a meal with someone he was starting to see as less and less of a pet.  He’d never seen a dog eat so carefully or politely and, while he chattered on, it almost felt like Harley was actively participating in the conversation.  

He found himself doing more of his work on the floor closer to Harley as well.  He asked his opinions on plot ideas or artwork his publishers sent over, script notes and set designs for the next movie they were ramping up to film sometime next summer.  It was like living with someone and the idea of having to give Harley up was becoming harder to swallow.  

“Harleyyyy,” Louis groaned, dragging his hands down his face in frustration, “I’m never going to get through this with how many fuck ups they’ve managed to squeeze into this.”  

He set his uncapped highlighter down to his side and rubbed at his tired eyes.  He hated the tedious editing process that came with writing.  If he could just pound out the words and trust someone else to fill in the rest, he would, but that obviously had yet to happen.  

The notebook at his side moved against his thigh and he looked down to see Harley’s paw pulling it closer, the uncapped highlighter clenched between his front teeth.  

“Hey, give me that,” Louis went to grab it but Harley yanked his face away, the top page of the notebook crinkling as his paw attempted to move it closer.   He went to grab it away but paused when the dog seemed to be doing these things with purpose.  Watching curiously, Harley put the highlighter to the paper and then moved his head like he knew what he was doing.  Maybe Harley had been one of those painter dogs, the ones that the owners put brushes into their mouths for them to make some lines on a paper and then sell them for hundreds of dollars on the internet.  It didn’t seem like a terrible way to make some extra cash.  

Harley spit the marker out and attempted to push the notebook back towards Louis, looking up at him with an intense determination.  The way this animal seemed to communicate still unnerved him a little.  

The highlighter had left yellow lines over the page and Louis picked it up to look.  They sort of looked like letters and he turned the paper horizontal and cocked his head to the side.  

“Harry?” he read out what seemed to be written in big crooked childlike letters.  He glanced over at Harley who seemed to be nodding and then back to the paper.  It had to be his eyes playing tricks on him to see letters in the random scribbles of a dog but the way that Harley seemed to crawl closer and steadied his stare made him look again.  

“Is your name Harry?” Louis asked and the dog seemed to nod frantically, his ears perking straight up and his eyes begging him to understand.  

“Not Harley?” And Louis didn’t know whether to be freaked out or impressed with the dog as he shook his head no to answer the question.  

“Okay, Harry it is,” and the dog smiled, actually  _ smiled _ , at him.  His eyes even seemed to shine brighter.  Maybe it was the nature of his novels filled with mythical creatures but he knew he should be more… surprised? Concerned?  Shocked?  He wasn’t sure what the proper emotion should be but the fact that a pet had literally just written his name on a piece of paper probably should have disturbed him more than it did.  

Instead, he just beamed right back and reached out to playfully ruffle his fur.  It was going to be so hard to let him go.  

 

\--

 

It was easy being a dog, Harry decided once he’d accepted that he had no choice but to stay with Louis until he was able to shift back.  There was a lot of free time that he spent being restless and bored but Louis often had the tv on for background noise at least and had fallen into the habit of having one sided conversations with him.  Louis was easy company to be around and, once they had the food situation straightened out, spent a lot of time entertaining him.  

It had been weeks and there were so many questions Harry wished he could vocalize about the work Louis always seemed to be doing.  It reminded him of the latest popular young adult novel series that his coworkers had tried so hard to recruit him into their fan club for.  He hadn’t been able to make it through the first book, too caught up in the unrealistic logistics of the werewolves that had him rolling his eyes.  He could appreciate that it would be appealing for the non-shifters, though.  They wouldn’t have anything to base the presumed fictional description on.  

It seemed like he might be the script writer for the movies or something closely related.  Presumably something well paid to afford the house he was being kept in.  Louis seemed to live a pretty comfortable lifestyle.  

It wasn’t how Harry wanted to spend the rest of his life but he had started looking at it like a relaxing vacation in some ways.  He couldn’t deny it was nice to be away from the stresses of work even if it would be that much worse when he returned.  If he was even allowed to return.  

Louis had been immersed in his laptop for hours, typing furiously with his legs propped up in the reclining section of the sofa, computer balanced on his lap.  Harry was bored, pulling himself up onto his paws and limping around the glass coffee table to rest his head next to Louis’ thigh pathetically.  He did his best to look pitiful, looking up with wide sad eyes.  He would be pouting if he could.  

At first Louis didn’t acknowledge him but after Harry had nudged his thigh with his nose, he finally looked down at him.  

“You want to come up?” Louis asked, balancing his computer on the arm of the couch and leaning over to help drag him up by his shoulders.  It took a bit of work on both of their parts but eventually Harry’s body was lying comfortably across the cushions with his head resting right in Louis’ lap.  He took a break from typing to pet long strokes over Harry’s head and it felt so relaxing.  He was definitely going to miss the abundance of affection when he finally made it back home.  The needy side of him had definitely grown and Louis wasn’t helping by indulging him.  

With how much free time Harry now had on his hands, or paws, and with all the cuddling they seemed to engage in, Harry couldn’t help his mind from wandering.  He wondered if Louis would be just as affectionate in a relationship.  It was easy to imagine Louis’ fingers sliding through his hair while they watched tv, his head resting in his lap much the same way.  He could clearly picture Louis’ body spooning his human form while they curled up in bed together, snuggling back into his warmth that he would need once he wasn’t sleeping in his fur.  

It was dangerous to let his thoughts stray stray into that territory since the odds of seeing Louis again once this was over was slim to none.  It wouldn’t be safe for him to return in either form, mixing personal lives so closely with humans had never turned out well for his people.  There were reasons stories and myths about werepeople existed and none of them had stemmed from a happy ending.  

He whined at the thought of never being on the receiving end of Louis’ hands and Louis responded to the sound by finding that spot behind his ear that always made him go lax.  

“I’m sorry I haven’t been much fun today,” Louis sighed and Harry could feel how worn out he felt just from the tone.  “My editor has been up my ass on my progress and I didn’t have much to show him.”  

Harry looked up at him with curious eyes and Louis seemed to soften.  It appeared that he really needed to take a break but there wasn’t much Harry could do to help him.  He just sighed and nuzzled closer to his lap, hoping he was providing at least a small distraction.  The position was comfortable for him as well.  The heavy cast on his leg was difficult to drag around and weighed on his hip at odd angles when he tried to lie down.  The angle of the couch helped to relieve the pressure so he was happy just to lounge.  Louis smelled so comforting as well, almost like another wolf of his kind but not quite.  It was a scent he had grown used to, warm and encompassing just like his embrace.

“I’ll read you what I have and you tell me if it’s any good,” Louis asked while he pulled his laptop back over his knees.  Harry nodded against him and Louis let out a small laugh.  He was glad Louis seemed to find it amusing that he understood and responded to questions which was better than having to play dumb to everything.  He would have gone mad already if that had been the case.  

Louis’ voice was nice to listen to, reading over the words he had written with a theatrical quality that had him captivated.  If he could speak up, he would pause him to correct his inaccuracies but he could gloss over that easily with the writer giving him the first peek into the character’s new adventures.  His coworkers would die to know he had been curled up in the writer’s lap while the next novel was being written.  At least that was what he had deducted was happening and he wished he could remember the author’s name from the cover of those paperbacks to confirm his suspicions.  

What were the odds that he’d ended up in the home of author who wrote about werewolves?  He could only imagine Louis’ shock if he knew the truth about the pet he’d taken in.  Maybe he would have to shift at least once in front of him, just to see his face.  It would probably be the most amusing moment of his life.  

 

\-- 

 

“Come on Harry!  Want to go for a ride?” Louis came into the living room with the blue leash around his hand.  He watched Harry give him a weary look but didn’t pull away when he squatted down to clip the leash to his collar.  “You’ve got a check up to see how you’re healing.”

Louis was impressed with how well he seemed to be healing, moving around on his own much better than he had the first week.  There hadn’t been any signs of infection that he could tell and the line of the incision on his stomach had nearly vanished into a pink scar before the stitches had even dissolved.  He’d have to ask the vet about that.  The little knots tight to the skin seemed more irritating than the original wound had even been.  They might need to be removed.  

It was difficult to hold himself back but he tried to let Harry walk on his own as much as possible.  The cast seemed bulky and annoying but he seemed to do alright.  Louis did help him down the few steps and then up into the backseat, though, not wanting another injury before the first ones had healed.  

Harry didn’t seem to be a big fan of car rides, letting out long whining howls the entire way until they pulled into the parking lot.  Arriving at the clinic was so different than the last time he had been there.  Harry was healing and doing well, the anxiety and panic all but vanished from those first emotional 24 hours.  

They took them back for xrays first and Louis smiled and took the credit for how well behaved Harry was through the whole process.  Somehow, he could tell Harry was annoyed by that but all he could do was laugh when he saw the expression on the dog’s face that always seemed like an eye roll to him.  

The assistant took them back to one of the exam rooms and they didn’t have to wait long until the vet came into the room.  Louis helped him get Harry up onto the exam table and he takes a quick look at the incision on his stomach.  

“He must be younger than we estimated since he seems to be healing faster than expected.  We usually say about 6 weeks but he’s looking great after 4.  The xray looks good and I think we can even get the cast off this week and see about scheduling a time for the pins to come out.”

The vet turned to the counter and started to get things together, his assistant bringing in some other things he assumed they’d need.  This was all new to Louis.  

“I assume you haven’t had any luck with finding his owners?” the vet asked, glancing over at Louis.  

“No, I haven’t seen or heard about anyone looking for him and no one has answered any of my posts.”  

“Have you thought about microchipping him?  It might be a good idea if he’s a flight risk.  He won’t be back to normal yet on his leg but he might try it once he’s not dragging it around.”  

Louis looked down at Harry and could feel the way the dog was glaring daggers at him with narrowed eyes.

“I think it would be a good idea.”  Louis was shocked when Harry let out a low growl, the first aggression he’d ever seen from the animal.  “Stop that.  You’re fine,” Louis tried to stay firm though the reaction made him a little nervous.  

“We’ll give him a light sedative before we take the cast off.  A lot of animals get scared by the tools but it won’t hurt them.”  

Harry seemed to be so busy glaring him down that he yelped when the nurse pushed the shot into the muscle of his shoulder and whined as he envisioned a toddler might.  It didn’t seem to take long before the sedative started to work, Harry struggling to keep his eyes open that drooped lower and lower until he rested his head against his paws.  

 

\--

 

There were many feelings that were horrifying, things that realistic nightmares were made of.  

Harry had once seen the movie Being John Malkovich that had left a scarring imprint on his mind.  In the movie, others were able to take over his body while he was pushed to the side, left to watch through the window of his eyes while having no ability to control anything.  He had read accounts of people affected by Lou Gehrig’s Disease who slowly lost all function, choosing to peacefully end their own lives rather than be trapped within their minds with a body unable to express themselves.  

It was one of his worst fears and, while he knew his state was only temporary, that was exactly what Harry was experiencing on the table of the vet’s clinic.  

The sedation had made things hazy for a while, a woozy feeling like maybe he had a few too many glasses of wine.  That had ended quickly, though, instead a state of lazy paralysis, barely able to twitch his muscles when he commanded them to move.  

He could hear them talking around him and everything in his body was screaming to shift and run but of course, he couldn’t.  He could feel the skin in his shoulder being pinched and lifted like the scruff of the back of a kitten’s neck and then a sharp poke into his flesh.  He whined and wanted to scream and jerk away but he couldn’t no matter how hard he tried.  

Louis’ hands were stroking his fur, no doubt trying to sooth a confused and scared animal rather than a person attempting to resist an unwanted body modification.  He wanted to cry over the inability to protect himself, water even gathering over his vision in his form and spilling over the sleek fur of his face.  At least he’d be able to leave tonight if all went according to plan.  As soon as he confirmed he could shift back, he’d be gone, out in the woods until he was close enough for his family to hear him.  He hoped they were still out looking, that they hadn’t given up.  

He tried his best to hold himself together while the vet sawed through the outer layer of his cast and removed the dressing beneath it.  The air felt too cold against his skin once it was off and each touch to his newly exposed skin made him want to jerk away.  

The vet inspected his leg and then moved it at all his joints, all of them feeling sore and achy with each movement but not necessarily painful.  Harry was thankful for that at the very least.  Every bend made him feel that much closer to freedom.  He could do nothing but lay their patiently while the doctor demonstrated some physical therapy moves for Louis to do with him at home and he tuned it out.  He wouldn’t be there long enough for it to matter.  

Harry tried to fight against it when the vet turned him onto his back, his legs falling open with everything on display.  He knew that to the other’s in the room it wasn’t quite the same as being naked but to him it was no different.  Especially when he could do nothing but weakly curl his toes.  At least he could do that now.  

The vet prodded the incision with his glove covered fingers and Harry just wished that Louis would turn his back the same way he still did every time he took him outside.  

“So have you thought about keeping him since you haven’t been able to find his owners?” 

It almost tickled as the vet snipped and pulled out each stitch but Harry was too busy focusing on getting his limbs to work to notice.   

“Yeah, I’ve grown quite attached to him after having him around.  I don’t think I could give him up now unless I had to.”

Harry should probably be flattered by Louis’ endearing tone but in that moment all it did was irritate him.  Nobody owned him.  Nobody was allowed to  _ keep _ him.  

“You’ve done a great job taking care of him.  He’s healing remarkably well, you should be proud,” the vet moved to take another look at his leg and he wished the guy would just turn him over already.  He felt utterly humiliated with his legs spread and his body still wouldn’t obey.  

“I think we’re safe to set up an appointment to take the pins out early next week,” Harry started to squirm when the vet’s hand moved down to push the longer hair of his tail away from his body.  “Have you given any thought about having him neutered?  It would be less traumatic to get it done at the same time so we wouldn’t have to put him under again.”  

And nope.  Nope, nope, nope.  That was it.  The final straw to this whole playing doggy charade.  

A rush of adrenaline surged through him and he scrambled against the slick table until he had righted himself and stumbled down the floor.  He ignored the crash of instruments around him, frantic to remove himself from the situation entirely, not willing to even be involved in a conversation about his balls.  

His muscles still weren’t working properly and his paws were slipping against the tile floor in what he was sure was a comical way but there was nothing comical about the panic that was driving him.  He pushed into the shift but each time hit the same roadblock as he had each time he’d tried over the past month, something yanking him back each time the shimmer hit his leg.  

The pins.  It was the pins.  It suddenly occurred to him that the pins had been the cause all along.  The foreign object attached to his bones was holding him back, his leg unable to elongate and straighten with metal drilled into its core.  

“Fuck!” he tried to exclaim but it came out as a loud yelp that echoed in the exam room on top of the chaos that had erupted with him being at the center of it.  Another tech opened the door to see what was going on and he took the opportunity and bolted.  He was disoriented and had no idea where he was going but there had to be a door somewhere, there had to be a way out.  

His leg felt weak and nearly useless at his side, holding his already diminished coordination back even further.  He slide into a wall and then dashed down the hallway, skidding to a spot when it was a dead end.  Fuck.  He’d gone the wrong way.  He turned to make a dash for it yet again but was blocked by far to many people to ever make it through.   

He was sure his eyes were wild as he backed himself into the corner, the barricade of people just watching him cautiously for a moment before advancing a step further.  

It was a last resort but it was all he had.  He crouched, bared his teeth and let out the most menacing growl he could conjure up.  He felt feral as he let his wild instincts loose for a second, each one of them a vicious predator trying to mutilate him.  

“Let me through!”  He watched Louis push his way between the employees who were probably trained in handling scared animals.  Harry just raised his lips higher, ready to lash out if he was pushed that far.  He could tell Louis was nervous, probably scared of what he was capable of doing, but he still cautiously came closer. 

“Harry, I know you’re not some stupid dog and I know you understand everything I’m saying.  So knock it the fuck off right now.  I’m not going to cut your balls off.  Jesus christ.” 

Harry stopped growling and relaxed his mouth, sitting back to hesitantly calculate the sincerity of Louis’ words.  

“You’re like a person,” Louis mumbled once he was close enough to squat in front of him.  He reached out rub behind his ears with both hands once he was sure Harry wasn’t going to bite his fingers off and then squished his face like a toddler with chubby cheeks.  “I’d probably have that reaction if someone threatened to chop my balls off, too.” 

Louis smirked and Harry slid his tongue out to get a cheeky lick across his face, grinning to himself when Louis wrinkled his nose in disgust.  

“You’re going to have a bad reputation here now,” Louis shook his head, tugging on his ear once before standing with a grip on his collar though Harry could tell it was just for show and not dominance.  

“He’ll behave now, I promise,” Louis told the rest of the staff but it was obvious they didn’t quite believe him even with the whole dog whisperer type performance that had just happened.  

Louis led them through the small crowd that had formed, Harry limping along at his side.  Now that he had calmed down he realized just how badly his leg was aching and whined with each uncomfortable step.  

“You did it to yourself,” Louis mumbled, leading them back towards the reception area.  Everyone was staring at them while Louis made his next appointment, the whole office no doubt hearing the whole fiasco.  Harry would have blushed with embarrassment if he could but to them, he was only a dog.  

Louis loaded him into the back seat and made it around to the driver’s side before he started laughing, loud and bright cackles that had tears rolling down his cheeks in minutes.  

“The look on your face!” Louis crowed now that they were alone, “I swear it looked like you saw your whole life flash in front of your eyes.”  

Harry huffed and flopped down onto his belly, rolling his eyes as he let his tail thump against the door with a hollow sound.  

The rest of the evening Louis wouldn’t let up, finding every excuse to make a jab or joke about his balls.  Harry just rolled his eyes until finding the opportunity to make a very convincing snap of his teeth mere centimeters away from Louis’ own balls in mock threat.  He kept his own junk guarded after that.  

 

\--

 

Harry was nervous.  He’d never knowingly had surgery before, especially not as an animal.  He couldn’t stop pacing all night, back and forth, back and forth, until Louis threw a pillow at him.  They’d moved to Louis’ bedroom the last few nights after his cast had been removed.  Without the burden of the thing he was able to jump up onto the mattress and Louis was glad to be sleeping in his own bed after a month.  Harry would argue that he could have been sleeping in his own bed for the path month but he also didn’t want to admit how much he’d enjoyed having him close.  

After the first night Louis hadn’t stopped complaining about the white hairs from his coat that seemed to cling to every item of clothing he owned and now every inch of his bed.  Harry had just grinned to himself and made sure to roll around over the bed and even beneath the covers because he was just that extra about it.  Mildly irritated yet underlyingly fond was exactly how he liked his Louis.  Just Louis.  Louis wasn’t his.  He was leaving soon.  

The sun finally rose on the day of his appointment and his eyes burned with exhaustion.  It would be the biggest trust of faith he had ever taken in his life.  He was willingly walking into a situation he had absolutely no control over and trusting Louis not to betray him.  

The procedure was expected to be simple.  Small incision, take out a few screws, close him up.  It sounded routine but anything could happen.  There hadn’t been a reaction to the anesthesia or medications the first time but foreign substances were always dangerous in this body.  He was neither human nor animal and it would be impossible to calculate correct doses on him knowing what he was let alone having no idea anything was off.  For all he knew he’d shift on the table as soon as the pins were out.  He’d been trying to force it every day for over a month so the push might just happen on its own once the blockage was removed and he wasn’t in control.  

Louis could tell he was nervous and was gentle with him all morning until it was finally the main office of the clinic would be open.  His appointment was first thing, Louis not wanting to starve him all day for an afternoon appointment.  It would have been a nice thought if he had actually been able to eat his dinner the night before.  

Louis signed them in and then took a seat in one of the chairs in the waiting area.  Harry walked up and pushed his chest between his knees, parting them before sitting tall so he was as close to Louis as he could be.  He squared his shoulders and stared at Louis with purpose hoping that it communicated all of his questions and fears and needs but, most importantly, trust that Louis wasn’t going to wrong him.  

The message must have been received when Louis’ hands came up to cup his face, rubbing down his neck and then back up to hold him so they made eye contact.  

“I promise your balls are safe,” Louis leaned forward and pressed a warm kiss against his cold wet nose.  It was the sweetest thing that had ever happened to him and he couldn’t help but smile even through the serious moment.  Harry gave one more nod, hoping he wasn’t making the wrong decision, and made no fuss when they led him back for prep.  

 

\--

 

It was much different coming to for the second time.  He had some blurry memories from after his surgery but he wasn’t quite as disoriented as before.  This time he knew what had happened and why his mind wasn’t quite clear.  It was also much less painful, a dull pulsing rather than the sharp stabs from before.

Most importantly, he felt relief.  He didn’t want to equate it to the relief after being constipated but that was the closest he could come to describe it.  He had lived his whole life with his magic flowing freely over his body whenever he wanted it to and, after having it built up and blocked from him for so long, the shimmer down his legs to his toes was the best release of pressure.  

He didn’t shift though, not yet.  Louis was still doting on him and playing nurse.  He brought Harry’s medication and food and water like the most pampered pup in the world.  

He waited until he was sure Louis was asleep.  He could hear the soft snores drifting to him from the couch and he was glad they hadn’t fallen asleep curled up with one another for once.  Keeping his eyes on the place where Louis’ hair popped up above the arm, he let shift trickle through him.  It would have been easy to burst into tears when he found himself crouched on two feet in the center of the dog mattress, rising up to his full height for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.  

His muscles stretched and his bones popped but it all felt so amazing.  The ache in his leg was stronger in this form, the incision long and deep through  the meat of his outer thigh but he didn’t even care.  There was a matching line along his stomach as well though it was dulled to a soft pink, scars that others wouldn’t always see but would always remind him of his time with Louis.  

He tried to tiptoe across the room but nearly fell over into a table and knocked over a lamp when his bad leg didn’t want to work quite the same.  He was used to babying it as his wolf and he was clumsy with it standing upright.  Cautiously, he limped across the room and through the door that he now knew to be Louis’ office.  He wouldn’t leave yet, not tonight, but he did need to figure out where he was.  

The papers rustled as he sifted through them, trying to be as quiet as possible as he looked for anything with an address on it or any information to indicate where he was.  There was nothing like Louis had never received a letter or a bill in his life.  He flopped down in the office chair, the pleather chilly against his naked skin, and sighed.  

Louis iPad.  He wasn’t sure how he didn’t notice it before but it was sitting on the desk right on top of his laptop.  1224, he put in the code he’d seen used so many times before and silently cheered when it let him in.  He opened Louis’ contacts and found an address listed under his own information.  Tomlinson.  That definitely looked familiar now that he saw it in text.  He could see the shiny gold lettering of it at the bottom of the paperback clearly in his mind now.  

Opening up the maps, he entered the address and zoomed to see where it would take him.  He found a familiar point and followed it across to where he had started that night.  Yeah, that seemed like the distance would have been about right, the privately owned woods stretching out for miles from his backyard to just across the road from where this address seemed to be.  

He opened a browser and signed into his email account, quickly composing an email to his cousin that would do what it said without question.  

 

Jared,

Come claim your lost “dog” tomorrow at this address.  I’ve been stuck, explain later.  

 

He logged out of his account and cleared the history before making his way back to the living room.  He could have slapped himself for being so careless when he didn’t even pause before stepping into the room.  Louis was sitting up on the couch yawning into his hand.   They both froze, holding eye contact for the longest moment before Harry dropped to the floor in a streak of white across the room to his place on the dog bed.  

It was difficult to pretend to be asleep when his heart was pounding so rapidly but he had to try.  

“What the fuck,” he heard Louis whispering to himself, “Fuckin’ books are messing with my head.”  

Harry smiled to himself but wasn’t about to give himself up.  

 

\--

 

The doorbell rang shortly after breakfast the next morning.  Louis swore to himself and ran his fingers through his messy hair.  He was still in his pajamas with bedhead and he hadn’t been expecting anyone.  If it was some type of salesperson he would turn the sprinkles on them with no hesitation, he was in that kind of mood.  

“Can I help you?” he asked in irritation as he pulled open the door and was met with a boy around his own age and an woman who was probably older than she looked.  It was probably the boy’s mom, they looked like they could be related.  

“Um, hi, I’m Jared,” he raised a hand with a small wave and he seemed nice enough but Louis wasn’t in the mood for a Girl Scout Cookie type of sales pitch.  “I, um, I think you might have found my dog?” 

Louis’ blood ran cold like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head as he stared with wide eyes.  

“How did you get this address?” he pressed, narrowing his eyes at the visitors that seemed just a bit too friendly to not seem suspicious.  

He was interrupted, however, by Harry pushing past him, his whole body wiggling in excitement as he circled the couple’s legs.  

“Oh Harry,” the woman burst into sobs and dropped to her knees, rubbing Harry all over while he licked the tears off her face.  Louis could do nothing but gape at the exchange, mouth hanging open in surprise.  

“You have no idea…” Jared had started, getting choked up as he rested a hand on Louis’ shoulder in gratitude, his eyes watery with tears as well. 

“I… No problem… He…” Louis was at a loss for words.  These people were so obviously Harry’s owners that he couldn’t even question how they’d found him all the way out here.  He’d spent enough time with Harry to know his behaviour with them was out of character when compared to other strangers.  

“I have, um, I have his vet papers?” Louis’ voice sounded higher than normal and there was a lump growing in his throat that was making it hard to swallow and an ache in his chest that had started to squeeze.  They were too busy in their reunion to pay attention to him so he walked like a zombie to the folder of follow up instructions and walked them back to the door in a state of shock.  

“Thanks man,” Jared said with a bro-like slap to his arm, none of it feeling quite like he’d expected this scenario to go.  The woman was already leading Harry out to their SUV, unbuckling his collar before helping him into the backseat.  

“That’s how he got lost in the first place,” Louis mumbled angrily as he watched the scene, swallowing back the loss of not even being able to say goodbye.  

“Don’t know how we could ever repay you, thanks again,” Jared was already halfway back to the SUV, throwing him a small wave before climbing in.  With a crunch of tires and the rev of the engine, they were beyond his line of sight before they had even cleared his driveway.  

He stood with his door wide open in shock for longer than he could even recall.  Harry had become such a part of his life that he wasn’t even sure what to do with himself.  The latch of the door closing seemed to echo in the now empty house and the silence was immediately deafening.  Harry hadn’t even been a loud animal but just his presence in the house had filled the spaces he hadn’t even realized were empty until he was gone again.  

He wandered around the house at a loss until he finally found himself on the couch staring at the tv without registering what was on.  Lunch came and went and then it was time for supper but he wasn’t hungry.  It didn’t seem to matter when he wasn’t cooking for two, when someone else wasn’t relying on him to keep them fed.  

His whole body still felt cold and eventually he gave in and grabbed the closest hoodie to pull over his head.  He folded his hands up inside the pocket and then looked down at where they rested over his lap.  White hairs stood out against the black fabric and that was what did it.  

“Fucking dog hair everywhere,” he tried to be mad but instead broke the floodgate of sobs that had been teetering on the edge all afternoon.

He missed Harry so much that it felt like a hole had been punched right through his heart.  Harry wasn’t just a dog, Harry was so so much more.  He’d never met an animal that was so intuitive, that had so much personality, that had made him happier than any of the success he’d had over the last few years.  His word count was higher than any other time frame and he knew it was the comfort of having Harry beside him that had kept him motivated to plow through.  He wasn’t distracted and looking for any excuse for human interaction, any chance to go out.  Harry had filled that anxiety he’d always had about being alone.  He didn’t do well on his own.  

His sobbed racked through his body until he had nothing left.  He ended up curled on the dog bed full of white hairs, sniffling pathetically until he finally passed out.  

 

\-- 

 

Harry was exhausted, there was no other way to put it.  After his mom and his cousin had shown up at Louis’ door, the rest of the day had been nonstop.  He appreciated the enthusiasm his family had for his return but after the 350th hug, he just wanted his own house, his own bed, his own  _ shower _ .

God, his shower had been heavenly.  He stood under the hot water until his skin was pink and his fingers were wrinkled.  Showering had been something he hadn’t even realized he’d missed so much until the water was cascading down his body.  He’d missed his comfy clothes, as well.  His sweats and worn out tees felt so soft against his skin and he crawled into bed while his body was still shower warm and his hair was still damp.  The sheets were crisp and cool and he starfished out over the whole mattress, taking full advantage of his human form.  

He laid there with eyes burning and heavy limbs waiting for sleep to take him but it stayed just beyond his reach.  He’d grown used to having the sound of another breathing beside him, a warmth not far away.  

Louis started to creep back into his mind after he’d pushed him away for most of the day.  The elation over seeing his mom had been so overwhelming he hadn’t even given Louis any type of goodbye or thanks for everything he’d done for him.  Not only did he feel like an ass but he also felt guilty for sneaking away from him the way that he had.  To Louis he hadn’t been a person, he’d been a pet he’d grown attached to and Harry had essentially run away from him with a suddenness that probably stung.  

Tears were stinging his irritated eyes before he realized that he missed him.  He missed the routines they’d formed, the affection he never hesitated to show, the gentle care he always took with anything he knew would make Harry uncomfortable with his injuries.  

It was nearly 2 in the morning when Harry had finally let everything fester enough that it was too hard to ignore.  He grabbed his keys and hopped into his car.  It felt strange to be behind the wheel again after so long but he didn’t let that stop him from following the navigation on his phone back to the place he’d called home for the past month.  

He wondered where it had happened as he drove down the winding road, keeping an eye on the map so he’d know exactly where to turn.  He almost missed it in the line of trees, turning into the driveway and recognizing the house once he was closer.  He’d only see it a couple times from the front but he had no doubt he was in the right place.  The silence after he killed the engine made his nerves flutter and he realized he didn’t have a plan.  It wasn’t like he could just waltz up and ring the doorbell.  The flicker of the tv lit up the windows of the living room and he wondered if Louis was still up at this hour for the same reasons that he was.  

He took care not the slam the car door as he got out, walking around the side of the big house to the brick patio that was very familiar to him.  His breath rattled anxiously in his lungs as he stood there for a few moments to collect himself.  It was just Louis.  He knew Louis.  There was no reason to be nervous.  

But there was reasons to be nervous.  Aside from the small glimpse of him the night before, Harry had never shifted in front of any human.  If that’s how this impromptu plan was going to go, he had a lot to be nervous about.  

He tried not to think about it as he slipped out of his sweatpants and shirt, folding them nicely and placing them on the metal outside table.  

His leg smarted as he shifted down, pawing at the glass with his nails to hopefully draw Louis’ attention.  He whimpered and pawed again and eventually a rumpled and sleepy looking Louis stumbled to the back door.  

“Harry?  What are you doing here?” his voice sounded wrecked and his eyes looked puffy and red.  It hurt his heart to think about what Louis’ afternoon must have been like after being faced with the evidence.  

He padded into the house and waited until Louis had latched the door shut before shifting up.  

“Hi.” 

He was taller than Louis in this form but not by much, just enough that Louis’ eyes had to tilt up when he finally scanned up to his face.  His body was naked in front of him but that didn’t seem to bother him, symbolically bearing it all physically as well just made it seem more complete somehow.   

“What the fuck,” Louis whispered, staring at him with wide eyes.  

“Sorry.  I didn’t know if there was a more… subtle… way to do that,” he looked down, blushing a bit.  

“I’m in one of those stress dreams again aren’t I.”  Harry watched as he pinched himself on the arm several times and he couldn’t help but laugh softly.  

“No, ‘fraid not.  I’m as real as you can get,” he offered a small smile, suddenly feeling shy now that the conversations weren’t just one sided.  

“Why did you…” Louis stared at him with confusion and Harry could practically see the puzzle pieces shifting into place in his head, “Why?  For over a month…?” 

“I couldn’t shift,” he shrugged, “I couldn’t figure it out at first but it was the pins.  They kept me from being able to shift.” 

“And the people…?” 

“My mom.  And my cousin.  I, um, sneaked into your office last night and sent them an email with your address,” he chewed on his lip and searched for the right way to explain himself but he knew none of it sounded right.  “I’m sorry.  I thought that maybe if you thought my real owners had found me that it would be better than you thinking I ran away or something.  I’m… This is kind of against the rules.  Not kind of, it IS against the rules and I thought that would be the best way but then I just got so excited to see my mom again that I didn’t even say goodbye and… yeah.”  He raised his hands in a sort of shrug and then let them drop, ready for Louis tell him off.  

“I’m sorry, can you like, cover up or something?”  Louis was blushing bright red as he waved his hand in the general direction of Harry’s crotch, “This is really distracting.”  

Harry honked out a laugh and Louis soon followed, tension broken just that easily.  Harry nodded and slipped back outside, slipping into his sweatpants again.  

“How do you have clothes here?” Louis asked and Harry cocked his head to the side before understanding.  

“Oh!  No, I drove here.  Not really in any condition to be traveling long distances on foot exactly.”  

“Oh my god, this means I hit a person why my car,” Louis groaned, “You’re gonna sue me aren’t you?” 

“I find it odd that THAT is what you’re focusing on right now,” Harry smiled and led them both back to the couch that was so familiar yet seemed so different now.  

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to focus on,” Louis shook his head, flopping down onto the sofa in a heap.  

“You don’t have to focus on anything,” Harry shrugged and it was all too natural for his body to gravitate towards Louis’, “I just wanted to say thank you for everything you did to take care of me.” 

“I’m the one who did it in the first place,” Louis swallowed and Harry could tell he still struggled with the guilt of the accident.  

“If it wasn’t you it would have been someone else.  It was my fault honestly for not paying attention.  But you could have left me on the side of the road, but you didn’t.  Thank you.”  

He rested his forehead against Louis’ temple and maybe it seemed a little too affectionate for his human form but he only knew how to be a pet with Louis.  Louis didn’t seem to mind, either, pulling him in closer for a hug that lasted long enough to be considered a cuddle.  

“Don’t run away on me again, please?” Louis asked, his words mumbled and pressed against his cheek.  

“I won’t,” Harry whispered and he realized it was the only promise he ever wanted to keep.  

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> [here's a tumblr linkie to the post](http://jaerie.tumblr.com/post/170077538832/savings-what-i-need-t-17k-by-jaerie-weve-all)


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